Five times Sam woke Jack up
by petitestars
Summary: Five times Sam woke Jack up...
1. Chapter 1

Title: Five times Sam woke Jack up

Author: petite_stars

Rating: PG

Summary: Five times Sam woke Jack up…

Pairing: Sam/Jack friendship to UST to Established S/J (different in each part)

Season: 1 through 10

Author's notes: BIG thanks go to wanderingsmith who made this readable to more than just myself. Any mistakes are my own. Feedback, good or bad, is very much appreciated. This is complete, each part can stand alone, I'll be posting one part per day or so… enjoy!

***

One (Missing scene: Emancipation)

Sam tried to sleep on the cold, hard ground, but her back was aching and if she didn't get up and at least take _something_ for the pain, she wasn't going to get any sleep at all. Cursing Turghan loudly in her mind, she got up and stepped over Daniel to get to her pack, where her med kit was kept. Teal'c, standing watch, raised an eyebrow at her but Sam gave him the signal for the facilities and he nodded. She walked just clear of the camp, careful not to go too far as she felt Teal'c's eyes burn into her back even as she disappeared into the privacy of the trees.

She opened the med kit and took out the Tylenol, swallowing two while also pulling out the antibiotic ointment that doubled as a surface anaesthetic. She'd managed to smear some onto her back earlier when she changed out of the awful sack she'd been wearing and back into her uniform, but it had worn off. She slipped her t-shirt off slowly, but just as she got it off, she heard a light footstep on the ground behind her. Flinching, she picked up her weapon and pointed it at the approaching figure shadowed in darkness, not caring that she was wearing only her pants, boots and black sports bra. Her heart pounded and her breathing quickened concerned that she was about to have another run in with a chauvinistic local.

"Woah, Carter," Colonel O'Neill's voice echoed over to her softly from where he stood frozen, as the muzzle of her gun pointed at his heart, "Just me, stand down."

Breathing heavily Sam lowered her weapon, "Sir, I'm sorry, I thought you were one of Turghan's people."

"S'okay, Carter, I woke up when you left the camp," the colonel, noticing her state of undress, averted his eyes to the leaves above her head as she turned her back to him and scrambled to pull her shirt on, "Came to see what was keeping you, shouldn't have startled you."

The shirt tangled when she got it over her head, brushing harshly against the damaged skin of her back, and she gasped involuntarily as the pain sharpened.

"Dammit," She tried to muffle the word but it still sounded loud in the quiet forest.

Jack's reflexes took over and he broke his gaze on the leaves at the sound of her curse, he swore himself when he saw the bruised and broken skin of her back, "Jesus Carter, what happened?" He came forward, close enough to touch but stopping short, his hand hovering above her skin, waiting for permission.

"Uh, I got beaten," Sam managed to slip her shirt over her head to cover her front but left it up, exposing her back to the colonel despite how much she wanted to push it down, "I tried to escape and got caught." Sam left the explanation at that; he didn't need to know that it was because she didn't want the other women to be beaten. It was bad enough that she failed to escape, she was hoping to hide the injury from the colonel at least until they were back on base.

"Do you want some of that ointment on it?" Jack asked softly, he reached down and picked up the tube she had dropped to the ground when he had startled her.

"It's okay, sir, it can wait until we get back the SGC," Sam turned around to face the colonel and tried to slide her shirt back down. She'd had enough of exposing herself to her C.O. tonight, but O'Neill instead opened the tube and motioned her to turn back around.

"Let me do this, Carter," His voice was still soft, but commanding. He waited for her to turn and then she heard him rinsing his hands with water from the canteen tied to his waist, "Might sting a bit."

Soft fingers pressed the cold cream into her back and it did sting as her broken skin reacted to the antiseptic. She breathed deeply and let the colonel apply the medicine, trying not to think about the gentle touch of his fingers, or how nice it was to be close to a friend after spending the last day among enemies.

"How did you get these Captain?" the colonel's voice sounds cautious, as if he knows he isn't going to like her answer.

"A leather whip, sir." Sam closed her eyes, remembering the sharp smack of the leather as it hit her skin.

"Bastard," the colonel muttered under his breath and Sam felt a little better when she heard him, "Sorry Carter, should never have let the team be split up."

"Not your fault, sir," Sam felt him finish applying the cream and pull her shirt back down over her back gently, "I wasn't expecting to be kidnapped by the Chief's son. I thought they were friendlies too."

"Yeah, well, I think we are going to have to be a lot more vigilant in the future," Jack said and Sam turned to face him, fully decent now, "Rule number two; no splitting up the team on overnight visits."

Sam was relieved to hear him speak of the future, she'd been concerned he'd see her as a liability, and perhaps no longer want to risk having a woman on the team, "What's rule number one, sir?"

"Never leave a man, or a woman, behind," the colonel said quietly. He held her gaze seriously and Sam saw a shadow pass through his dark eyes, "Why'd you try to escape? You must have know we were coming for you."

She shrugged, "I took the chance when I had it, I didn't want to need rescuing, sir."

Jack smiledwarmly at her, "I think you'll get to rescue the rest of us one day."

Sam laughed, "Maybe next time we can go to an Amazon women planet, huh?"

Jack nodded, his expression pensive,"I can see the upsides to a planet like that."

"Think maybe we should head back, sir." Sam rolled her eyes discretely, turning and bending down carefully to pick up the med kit.

Colonel O'Neill watched her as she retrieved the bag, but before she could take a step back towards the camp, he placed a gentle hand on her arm to stop her.

"Before we go back, Carter, we need to clear something up," the colonel's voice was serious.

"Yes sir?"

"Any more injuries you haven't mentioned?" the colonel's eyes were watching her closely and Sam shook her head.

"No sir."

"Turghan… he didn't get the chance to…," Jack ran a hand over his face, clearly uncomfortable, "Did he abuse you sexually?"

"No sir." Sam's voice was emphatic. The forced kiss didn't count, she buried that memory deep into the back of her brain, determined to forget it.

The colonel looked at her for a long time, seeming to assess whether she was telling the truth. Eventually he nodded, "All right."

"I'm telling the truth, sir," Sam said, trying to get the point through that the beating was it.

"Okay, but in the future, if you're injured, don't hide it. This isn't a competition for who can be the toughest. We're in the field; as your C.O. I need to know if you're hurt," Jack said, not unkindly but in a firm voice.

Sam felt like a raw cadet, "I should have informed you, sir, I'm sorry."

Jack looked uncomfortable, "I should have made it a little clearer that I don't expect… that I'm not a… ah hell, Carter, do you know what I mean?"

Sam smiled, she understood that he was trying to tell her he wasn't the hardass he portrayed, "Yes sir."

"Knew you were the smart one."

***


	2. Chapter 2

***

Two (Post ep: solitudes)

Jack settled into his bed, feeling the pull of painkillers and sedatives coursing through his blood, threatening to ease him into sleep. Still, he fought the urge to close his eyes and took one last assessment of his surroundings before he rested completely.

The private plane was nearly empty; it was designed to transport medical patients, and both Jack and Carter were strapped into beds at the rear of the plane. A nurse and doctor were seated in a row of seats ahead of them, coming back to check on the two soldiers periodically. If they thought it was strange that a colonel and a captain were found in Antarctica, dressed in full combat gear and sporting dangerous injuries, they hadn't commented on it.

The rest of the SGC team, General Hammond included, that had come to retrieve their missing comrades, were either seated in the far front of the plane, on another transport; or left behind to coordinate the transferral of the second gate.

Jack still couldn't quite get his head around that one. Two gates. They had been on Earth the entire time, struggling to get back to a planet they were already on. They'd spent three days at McMurdo before being cleared to fly. Carter had been given the all clear on the second day, but Jack needed to recover from the surgery to fix his chest and for the swelling on his leg to go down enough to cast.

Jack's eyes closed as his mind thought about the existence of two gates, he doubted even his broken leg and busted chest would get him out of what was sure to be a long and scientifically-worded briefing with Carter when they got back to base. He drifted off to sleep thinking of the last time Carter had gotten excited about science: she'd used ten syllable words and spoken for a good ten minutes straight in complicated techno babble he hadn't understood…

Jack jerked awake when he felt a hand slap against his face, "Wha…?"

He pushed the arm off his nose and turned to the offending owner of the limb. He was surprised when he saw that it was Carter. Their beds barely had enough space to walk between them and Carter could easily reach her arm across.

"Carter, get off," he whispered, trying not to alert the medicos resting ahead. The last thing he needed was the Doc to pump another dose of sedatives through his system.

"Can't… nothing there… I'm sorry sir…" Carter shifted restlessly, her eyes closed, and Jack realized that she was still asleep, dreaming; or rather, having a nightmare by the way her face was twisted into a grimace.

He squeezed her arm, "Carter, wake up!"

She shifted again, still mumbling, "Honour… should have saved you… I'm sorry sir."

Jack felt his gut twist uncomfortably; she blamed herself for not getting them out of there. He hadn't been present when she had been told about the second gate, and how they had been on Earth the whole time; knowing Carter, she had berated herself for not thinking of the possibility. There was no way Jack blamed her for that; she had no equipment, an injured C.O. and freezing conditions in which to work, she had done her best. He'd have to make it clear to her once they got back to the SGC that she was not to dwell on any misplaced guilt, he suspected she wouldn't listen, but he would at least try. Even her genius, super-sized brain couldn't have figured out that they had been on Earth.

Sam twisted again on the bed; she was half strapped down, but Jack was still worried that she might hurt herself if he didn't wake her up.

"I'm sorry sir." Her voice was pained, her closed eyes scrunched as she mumbled the apology.

Jack tried a different tactic than waking her up, "It's okay Carter, we're okay."

"Sir? You're okay?" Sam seemed to respond to him in her sleep.

"We're safe Carter," Jack held her arm tightly, "You can rest now."

Sam's eyes opened a fraction, she looked at him for a second and whispered, "Safe." then her eyes closed and she relaxed, finally stilling on the bed.

Jack let go of her arm slowly, not feeling tired anymore, wanting instead to stay awake and watch over his teammate. He turned into a more comfortable position so that he could watch her without his heavy cast being in the way. He kept his eyes open for the rest of the plane trip home, soothing her back into a peaceful sleep whenever she became restless.

***

End Part Two


	3. Chapter 3

-1***

Three (Post ep: Secrets, pre Tok'ra I and II)

Sam Carter woke up abruptly, feeling hot and stifled in her sleeping bag. She glanced around the quiet tent; Daniel was sleeping deeply on her right side, beyond him, Teal'c's bag was empty as he took his watch, and the colonel had his dark, sleepy eyes watching her as she turned to her left and looked over at him.

"Carter? You okay?" His voice was low and quiet.

"Fine sir," Sam laid back down, untangling herself from her bag and settling down into it smoothly, "Sorry I woke you."

"S'okay."

They drifted off into silence for a long while. Sam closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but all she could feel was the heat and weight of the tent pressing into her. She'd had so much trouble sleeping lately, since coming back from Washington and seeing her dad. She'd been happy to see him again, it had been years since they'd last spent a decent amount of time together; she'd been enjoying herself even, until he'd brought up NASA, and then later, his cancer. Now all Sam could see when she closed her eyes was the image of her dad's disappointed face when she'd refused his help to get her 'dream job'. She sighed and rolled over in her bag, unintentionally tangling herself again; she righted her sleeping bag, trying to keep the rustling to a minimum.

"Carter?" the colonel called to her quietly, "Go to sleep."

"Yes sir." Sam squeezed her eyes tightly shut and forced herself to stay still. She managed for thirteen minutes. Hoping the colonel had drifted off to sleep, she turned around in her sleeping bag; only to come face to face with a wide awake Jack O'Neill.

"Carter, has anyone ever told you that you think loudly?" His voice was still a whisper so as not to disturb Daniel.

"I think loudly?" Sam doubted that very much.

"Yes, it's like I can hear your super smart brain ticking over as it invents some new type of astrophysical theory… or whatever it is you think about at night," He broke off, seemingly embarrassed about mentioning her night time thoughts, and an uncomfortable silence floated between them. Sam struggled not to smile at him; he was cute when he got embarrassed, not that she should be thinking about her C.O. like that.

"I'll try to think more quietly, sir," she said instead.

"I doubt that's possible," Jack replied, and this time the quiet moment between them was comfortable.

Sam wondered what her dad had thought of the colonel. She supposed if he had been anyone other than her C.O., they would have got on like a house on fire. They both had similar senses of humour, were career Air Force and lived alone. If she was to think much more deeply about their similarities, it might worry her, but Sam Carter was not about to go down that particular path. It didn't matter what her dad thought of O'Neill; she doubted they would meet again. She wasn't even sure how much time her dad had been given by the doctors; he'd only answered his phone once in the two weeks since she had seen him in D.C..

"Knew you couldn't think quietly." The colonel's whispered voice interrupted her thoughts again.

Sam gave him a sheepish smile, "Sorry sir." She felt slightly uncomfortable that she had kept him awake, but even so, a small part of her was grateful for the company.

"How about you tell me what's on your mind, then once you get the quarks, atoms and ions out of your brain we can both sleep."

"It's not science on my brain, sir," Sam couldn't seem to help herself from blurting out the words, "It's my Dad."

"General Carter?"

"Yeah, he has cancer," she said softly. It was the first time she had said it out loud to anyone. She hadn't even had the chance to ask if General Hammond knew.

"I'm sorry Sam," the colonel's voice was genuine, "If you need anything, time off or anything… we've got your back."

Sam nodded, closing her eyes, feeling at least for the moment that she wasn't alone in dealing with her dad's diagnosis. Mark wouldn't even take her calls; she'd left countless unanswered messages on his machine and she was beginning to think that not even the threat of death would heal the rift between the two Carter men. She'd tried to reconnect the two men in the past, but Mark had been holding a grudge against their dad since they had lost their mom and it had gotten worse over the years, extending to Sam when she had joined the Air Force. Jacob Carter could also hold a grudge, he hadn't even tried to repair his relationship with Mark or showed any concern when Sam had told him Mark wasn't speaking with her. Now Sam was starting to think Jacob may have developed a grudge against her and was ignoring her as punishment for refusing to take the opportunity he had given her for NASA.

"He said he could get me into NASA," Sam quietly told Jack the one thing that still weighed heavily on her, "He was so disappointed when I told him I was happy at the SGC."

Jack sighed, "He's your dad, Carter, I'm sure he just wants you to be happy."

She shook her head, "He's not like that. My goal was always to be an astronaut… he thinks I've given up; not that I'm happy."

Jack didn't answer her for awhile, then he said softly, "Give him time Carter. Parents aren't perfect."

Sam saw experience in Jack's eyes and remembered that he had been a father too, once. She nodded feeling the sadness weigh heavily in her chest, "Okay, I just… I'm not ready to say goodbye yet."

Jack shifted for a moment before he pulled his hand out of the sleeping bag grabbing her own where it rested on top of her bag and squeezing it tightly, "You won't be alone, Sam," his voice was warm and comforting.

She stared at him still feeling the sadness, but it wasn't as crushing as it had previously been. Sam let Jack's calm eyes and the warm grip of his hand comfort her until she felt tired once again. She drifted off, feeling hopeful that the next time she called, her dad would answer the phone.

***

End Part Three


	4. Chapter 4

Part Four (Post Heroes)

It had been two months since Janet Frasier died, and the infirmary didn't feel the same. The new CMO, Brightman, was a competent doctor, but she lacked the personality and flare that Janet Frasier brought to the job. The infirmary seemed just that little bit more depressing without her bright smile and quick-witted comments.

Jack never used to enjoy staying in the infirmary overnight, but having Janet there had made it almost fun; he used to delight in riling the small doctor up by making paper airplanes with his medical notes, gluing tongue depressors together to form swords to play against Daniel (his most frequent infirmary buddy) or playing basketball with strategically placed cups and cotton wool. He always managed to irritate Janet, but she always got her own back, jabbing him harder with the needle at post mission medicals, bringing forward his annual physical and making him be her demonstration model for an incredibly long and boring lecture on the importance of wearing biological hazard gear, where he'd had to correctly display correct wear of all SGC hazard uniforms to the new recruits. She'd then surprised him by using him as an example subject on how to correctly collect biological samples off world, most notably demonstrating a throat swab and actually letting a green recruit draw blood from his arm. Evil, Napoleonic, power mon…. He missed her though, she'd been one of the most selfless, hardworking and dedicated people he had ever met. And a good friend as well.

He especially missed her tonight. SG1 had gotten quarantined when they all developed an itchy red rash following their return from PJ2 450, though Doctor Brightman suspected it was just a reaction to a local drink they had sampled at the trade negotiations. Just to be sure, she'd ordered them all into quarantine overnight while their blood samples were double-checked and a sample of the alien drink was acquired for analysis.

So Jack was relegated to a night of four gray walls… and Carter's company. Daniel and Teal'c were in the isolation room across the hall while he and Carter shared Iso- room one. Carter wasn't much company though, she'd curled up onto the bed as soon as Brightman left the room and closed her eyes. Jack had tried to get her to play a game of swords after Siler had slipped a box of tongue depressors and a small glue stick through the quarantine drop hatch, but she hadn't been interested. Sighing, Jack gave in and lay down on his bed, eventually falling asleep.

He wasn't sure what woke him up hours later, but when he glanced over to Carter's bed, he found it empty of the major. Concerned, he sat up and looked around the room, not seeing her anywhere. They had a small private bathroom, but the door was closed and he couldn't see a light coming from under the door. His worry gave way to annoyance for a moment; if she had managed to break out without him, he was going to be having some words with her.

It was then that he heard the sniffle, coming from behind the bathroom door. He got up quietly and knocked on the door, "Carter? You in there?"

"Go back to sleep, sir." Her voice sounded muffled, but Jack could hear the tears in it.

His concern returned in force at the sound of her badly hidden distress,"Not until you tell me what's going on. Do I need to get the Doc?"

There was silence for a long while and Jack was about to go for the call button when the door opened, revealing Carter, looking pale and small. Her face was dry but Jack could see that her eyes were red.

"Carter?" he questioned her gently again as she pushed past him, her head lowered, avoiding his gaze as she got back into her bed.

"It's nothing, sir, go back to sleep." She turned her back to him and curled up again on the bed.

He watched her for a long time, sitting on the edge of his bed and watching as she tried to feign sleep. She kept her breathing even and her body was still, but Jack could see the tension in her figure and knew she wasn't asleep. He could only guess at what was bothering her, though he suspected it might have to do with the person he had been missing earlier tonight. Janet Frasier had been Sam's best friend, they were practically parents together. Now Sam was left to raise the almost-grown Cassandra on her own while losing the closest female friend she had.

Jack knew Sam was struggling with her new-found responsibility as a parent. Cassie was stubborn and it was difficult losing a family once, but Cassie had experienced it twice. The young woman had just left for college but Jack knew she kept in nearly daily contact with Sam as she struggled to settle into dorm life. Sam had asked for a week off when Cassandra had left for college; she'd only managed to stay with Cassie for three days before an emergency Stargate malfunction brought her back into the SGC. Jack had been furious when he'd found out that she'd been recalled, but she was already at the computers, fixing the issue; she simply shrugged when he told her that she should have called him. At the very least he could have gone and stayed with Cassie if he couldn't arrange for another egghead to deal with the gate. However, that wasn't how things were between them, not with their ranks and the judgemental eyes that watched them, plus relying on other people was not a trait Sam Carter had ever had. He'd settled for bringing her coffee and cake while she worked on the gate and phoned Cassie himself to make sure she was doing okay. It didn't seem like enough, but it had to be.

He listened quietly and heard Sam sniff, saw her head burrow slightly into the pillow and his stomach hurt at the image of her crying, alone in the dark. It wasn't fair that they had to lose Janet, someone so important not only to the program but to SG1, to Sam and to Cassie. It was hard enough for him to spend a night in the infirmary without Janet there, it must have been torture for Carter.

He slipped off the bed, unable to stand her quiet tears. It wasn't right to just stand by and let her cry. He couldn't do much, but at least he could make sure she wasn't alone. He pulled up a stool next to her bed and put a gentle arm on her shoulder. She flinched, and he gripped her firmly, "It's all right, Carter, I miss her too."

She didn't turn to face him but he felt her relax slightly into his grip. He stayed like that, close to her, long after she finally drifted off to sleep.

***

End Part Four


	5. Chapter 5

Part Five (Season Ten established Sam/Jack)

Sam slipped into the D.C. apartment just past midnight on Jack's birthday. She'd caught the first flight she could out of Colorado as soon as she'd cleared the medical from SG1's last mission. They had been late back, two days late back, thanks to stalled negotiations. At least Jack wouldn't have been worried; she was simply stuck off world in boring diplomacy talks rather than out of contact and being shot at as was the usual custom for SG1's late returns. Although knowing Jack, he probably considered diplomacy worse than having to face combat, especially given his job was dealing with diplomats on a daily basis.

Sam kicked her shoes off quietly and dumped her bag onto the couch. Jack's apartment complex was swish but he had brought most of his familiar, comfortable furniture with him from Colorado, so the inside of the apartment looked, and smelt, like the man she loved. She pulled her toiletry bag out, grabbed a tank top and panties, and went into the spare bathroom to freshen up.

She took a quick shower, finally feeling human after the flight and cab ride to his apartment, and went down the hallway to Jack's bedroom. Feeling her pulse quicken, she pushed open the door and for the first time in three and a half weeks, laid her eyes on Jack. He was sprawled on his stomach, dressed only in boxer shorts, deeply asleep, his head buried in the soft pillow and his hair scuffed up in soft looking tuffs. She felt the tension leak out from her body; she'd missed him so much. The snatched time they got to spend together was never enough, but for now, it was all they had.

In her eagerness to wake him up and see his eyes and kiss his lips, Sam forgot about the caution she would usually take in disturbing his sleep. A man like Jack, an SGC combat veteran, previous war prisoner and black ops man with more demons than the average person, required more care than was usual when he was woken. Sam forgot this and leaned down, brushing her lips across his temple and stroking her warm hand through his messy hair.

Jack moved quickly as he woke, pushing her forcefully to the floor, they rolled off the bed and Sam felt the air pushed out from her lungs as her back hit the carpeted ground. Jack used his heavy body to trap her legs while his hands gripped her wrists and pinned her down. Sam saw that his eyes were blank as he held her down, not recognizing that the body underneath his was that of his lover, and not his enemy.

"Jack!" Sam shouted at him desperately, taking a gasping breath beneath his grip and trying to bring him back to the present.

It only took her voice and she saw recognition fill his eyes and he let her up immediately, pulling her into his arms, "Sam? Shit, I'm so sorry."

Sam pressed her face into the warm skin of his chest and shook her head, "My fault, forgot who I was surprising."

"I could have hurt you," Jack's eyes were worried and his body was taut. Sam smoothed her hands down his back and breathed in his familiar smell.

"You didn't… I could have taken you anyway, Jack O'Neill." Sam smiled up at him, trying to take away the tension. She didn't want her surprise visit to be ruined by her stupid actions. She's known Jack ten years, eight of those spent camping off-world with him, she knew his sleeping and waking habits better than her own. She should have known not to surprise him in his sleep.

"Probably, I have been sitting behind a desk for the last few years," Jack said slightly bitterly as he pulled them up off the floor and they got into his rumpled bed together, "I'm getting soft."

Sam smiled as they both lay down and she pressed her body to the full length of his, "Mmmm, you feel pretty fine to me."

Jack chuckled; propping his head in his hand, he leaned over her and grasped her cheek softly, "Hey Carter?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing in my bed? Shouldn't you be in Colorado?" His eyes were warm and Sam felt herself lose her train of thought for a moment as she looked into his dark eyes. Her eyes drifted down to his lips. They hadn't even kissed properly yet but her mouth was dry and she felt the tingle of anticipation in her belly.

"Birthday surprise."

"Oh?" Jack gave her a cheeky grin, "Did you get me a present?"

"Sure did," Sam got sick of waiting for the taste of his kiss, "Me." She leaned up and pressed her lips to his. He groaned into her mouth and she used her hands to pull his body on top of hers. The kiss was soft and slow for a long time as they reacquainted themselves with each other, but before long, she deepened the kiss, pulling Jack down closer to her as she pressed her lips to his and teased the roof of his mouth with her tongue.

Jack pulled back, gasping, but a smile was on his face, "Best birthday wake up call… ever."

Then he slid his hands under her top and not much else was said… for a long time.

***

The End


End file.
